Young players from all over Europe will vie in Matosinhos for a ticket to make the inaugural FIVB U17 Beach Volleyball World Championship coming up in July in Acapulco, Mexico

Luxembourg, Luxembourg, May 7, 2014 - Sticking to its long-term strategy with an extensive promotion of beach volleyball at grass-roots level at its core, the CEV will be organising from June 6 to 8 a qualification tournament where European teams will fight for the right to compete at the inaugural FIVB Beach Volleyball U17 World Championship which is due to take place through July 15-20 in Acapulco, Mexico.

The European qualifying event will be held in Matosinhos, Portugal, the same city that in late June will host also one of eight first-round tournaments on schedule for the second edition of the CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.

As per the rules set by FIVB, the top six teams from this qualification tournament will make it straight to the Main Draw of the World Championship, while those ranked 7-11 will also book their ticket to Mexico but will start their campaign in Acapulco from the qualification. Another 8 spots may be available for the World Championship if the four remaining Continental Confederations (Africa, Asia, NORCECA, and South America) won’t fill up their respective quotas.

“After last year CEV was the first Confederation to set up a Youth Continental Cup to qualify teams for the Nanjing Youth Olympics that are coming up later this summer, we continue to expand our portfolio and to provide young players with an opportunity to play international matches so that they can see where they stand, get to feel the unique atmosphere of an international competition and continue to pursue their dream of becoming professional players,” says CEV Vice President and President of the European Beach Volleyball Commission, Renato Arena. “Beach Volleyball does not stop its steady development in Europe at all levels; with this qualifier we will start shaping Europe’s next golden generation and we are re-affirming Europe’s role as global trend-setter when it comes to the promotion of our sport.”